


The Hand Study

by markwasalone



Category: Life Is Strange 2 (Video Game)
Genre: First Kiss, First Meetings, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24126022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/markwasalone/pseuds/markwasalone
Summary: Sean has been smitten with Finn ever since the older boy transferred to his school. Too afraid of rejection to confess his feelings, he channels them into his art. One day, Finn takes a peek at his sketchbook and sees something that wasn't meant for his eyes.
Relationships: Sean Diaz/Finn
Comments: 5
Kudos: 70





	The Hand Study

**Author's Note:**

> I finally played through Life is Strange 2 (I know I'm a little late to the party) and I just fell in love with Sean and Finn's dynamic. I enjoyed it so much that it actually inspired me to write this fic as soon as I finished the game. I hope you enjoy.

Sean was royally fucked. And it all started with his sophomore year of high school when a certain new boy transferred to his school. 

Finn McNamara.

At first he thought Finn was going to be trouble, and he was right. The boy was only a year older but seemed to have been through so much already. Rumors spread about how the Scottish boy was expelled from his old school. Vandalism, petty theft, and even arson were some of the popular ideas. If Sean only went off of appearances, he probably would've believed them.  
The older boy was attractive, in that hipster/stoner sort of way. But he also had what some would consider way too many tattoos for someone his age. His ear gauges and thrifty looking clothes only added to his aura of danger. 

Luckily for Sean, he got to know the real Finn at a random house party one night. He had come with Lyla but the two got separated at one point after she went to use the bathroom. While looking for her, he stumbled into one of the many bedrooms in the house. The smell of weed immediately hit his nose as he opened the door. Sitting in the center of the room was Finn and a purple haired girl Sean hadn't seen before. 

The two gave him a look over but didn't immediately say anything. Sean felt himself growing nervous under their gaze. 

"H-hi." he said awkwardly. 

"Hey man, you look sorta familiar. Don't we go to the same school?" Finn asked. 

"Uh yeah we do actually. I think I'm a year under you though." 

“Ah, that makes sense. Well it’s nice to meet you brother, I’m Finn.” 

Before Sean could respond, the girl finally spoke up. 

"Oh look at you Finn, been here a week and you're already making new friends." 

Finn gave her a playful look. 

"That's okay as long as you don't forget about little ole Cass." she continued. 

Turning her attention back to Sean, she gave him a mischievous look before asking "So, you wanna join us, stranger?" 

Right as he was about to answer, his phone buzzed with a text message. He reached into his pocket and took a look at it. Lyla had messaged him. 

"Omg my parents are coming home early so I had to bail to make sure I got there before them. Sorry I couldn't say bye, hope ur having fun." -Lyla

"Uhh I don't know, I was looking for my friend but it looks like she left already. I might just go home myself." 

"Aww are you sure? You're more than welcome to join us, brother." Finn said with an easy smile. 

Sean couldn't say no to that smile. 

Shrugging his shoulders, he went to sit down with the two of them. 

"So, you wanna finally introduce yourself, stranger?" Cass asked in a teasing tone. 

"Oh, I'm Sean. Sean Diaz." 

"Wait a minute. Diaz, like the repair shop?" Finn asked. 

"Yup, that's my dad's shop that he runs with his friend." 

"My car needs an oil change soon, think you can give me a discount?" Finn asked with a wink. 

Sean let out a chuckle.

"I'll see what I can do." 

Cass rolled her eyes. 

"The boy's been here five minutes and you're already schmoozing him for discounts." she chided.

Finn put his hands up in mock surrender. 

"Hey it doesn't hurt to ask, especially when we're sharing our pot with him."

Sean laughed at the two's bickering. 

"Anyone ever tell you guys that you kinda argue like an old married couple?" 

Cass pretended to gag while Finn laughed off the question. 

"Trust me Sean, I get enough of him as just a friend." 

Finn dramatically grasped at the imaginary dagger in his chest. 

"Damn Cass, you really know how to make a guy feel appreciated." he said sarcastically. 

Sitting back up straight, he turned to Sean. "It's alright, more of me to go around anyway. I’m sure someone will appreciate everything I’ve got going on." 

Cass gave him a playful nudge. 

"I pity whatever poor girl or guy you end up with." she said sternly, but there was no bite to her words. 

Sean felt himself tense up at Cass' comment. Finn must've noticed because he started giving him a wary look.

"That's not gonna be a problem is it?" 

The question snapped Sean out of his stupor. Shit, he hadn't realized how this must look to the two of them. 

"Oh no, of course not." he said while shaking his head. 

A look of relief along with something else came over Finn’s face at hearing his answer. 

"Great, because I don't really share my shit with dickheads." Finn said as he handed Sean the bong. 

With the tension lifted, the three of them spent the rest of the party smoking and getting to know each other. 

The two boys became fast friends after that. Finn brought out his more rebellious side while Sean helped ground Finn so he wouldn't get into too much trouble. It was only a few months into their friendship that Sean had to face the fact that he was having some more than friendly feelings for the other boy. This is how he ended up in his current predicament, staring at the ceiling in his room while agonizing over what to do about his feelings. 

So many thoughts swirled around his head. Finn liked guys but that didn't necessarily mean he'd reciprocate the crush. Why would he? Especially since Sean was still a virgin and so inexperienced in comparison. He hadn’t even kissed a boy yet. Even if Finn shied away from telling him about all of his past conquests, Sean knew that it was probably because the older boy just didn’t want to make him feel like a loser. 

“There’s no way he could ever look at me that way.” he thought to himself somberly. 

Letting out a deep sigh, Sean put in his earphones and reached for his sketchbook. He needed to get his feelings out on paper, maybe then they’d ease up on him. Looking at his more recent drawings, he wanted to slap himself for being in denial for so long. Finn was dominating his thoughts and it was apparent with how many pictures he had drawn of him. 

One picture was of their first meeting. Him, Finn and Cass sitting with their backs against the wall, smoking and telling stories to each other at some random classmate’s house party. He’d always remember that night. 

He smiled as he turned the page. 

The next one was of Finn and Daniel cheering him on at one of his track meets. Daniel was sitting on Finn's shoulders holding a sign he'd painted to cheer on his big brother. It made him happy to see Daniel get along with Finn so well. He was worried all the tattoos would scare the young boy but he just thought they were cool. With how much time Finn spent at his house, he wouldn’t be surprised if Daniel looked up to him like a second older brother. 

Turning the page again, his breath hitched as he looked at his most recent sketch. It was Finn sleeping peacefully under a tree. He had been late to meet up with the older boy in the park after school, so much so that Finn had dozed off. Sean didn't have the heart to wake him up in the moment, so he pulled out his sketchbook and got to work. He admired Finn’s myriad of tattoos, he wanted to memorize all of them so he could get them just right for the sketch. 

Sean felt his heart swell at the memory. His chest was tight with warmth, he needed to start this new sketch or else he felt like he’d choke on his affection. Taking a deep breath, he finally started to put his emotions to paper. 

Some time later, his focus was interrupted by Daniel barging into his room. 

"Hey enano, I'm kinda busy right now. What do you want?" He asked while taking out his earphones. 

"Whatever you're doing right now isn't important because Finn is here! And he brought me some choco-crisps!" Daniel said while jumping with excitement. He outstretched his hand to show his older brother the beloved snack. Sean smiled at his brother’s enthusiasm. 

"Aw that’s great bud, where is he now?" 

"He stopped to talk to Dad for a second but I wanted to ask if you guys would play Minecraft with me later?

Sean paused to think it over. Did he really want to split his Finn time with his little brother? The silence must’ve dragged on for too long so Daniel brought out the big guns. 

“Pleaaaaaaaaaaaase?" Daniel begged, clasping his hands together and giving his best puppy dog eyes. 

Sean had to relent. 

"Alright alright, just let us hang out in my room first for a bit okay?" 

"Awesome! I'll be in my room, just come whenever you guys are ready." Daniel said while running out of the room.

A few moments later, Finn stepped into his room. 

"Honey I'm home." he said with a cheeky smile.

Sean wished the sentiment was real and not just some banter between friends. 

"Hey man, Daniel told me you brought him his favorite snack. Thanks for that dude."

Finn smiled warmly. 

"No problem man, I was already stopping by the store on my way here anyway." he said while casually joining Sean on the bed. 

He glanced at Sean's sketchbook sitting on his lap. 

"Oh did I interrupt one of your sketch sessions?" he asked while peeking at the newest page. 

Sean tried to be nonchalant about closing the book before Finn could get a good look at it. He must’ve failed given how Finn was raising an eyebrow at him. Shit, he needed to think of something fast. 

"Uhhh, it's not finished yet is all." he said defensively. 

"You always show me your works in progress though." Finn countered. 

Trying to change the topic, Sean reached for his earphones again. This time offering one to Finn. 

"H-hey you wanna listen to this new band I just discovered?" 

Sean prayed that the other boy wouldn’t keep pressing the issue. He was thankful when Finn simply took the earbud from his hand. The two boys spent the next few minutes listening to music together on Sean's bed. 

Sean let himself close his eyes and get lost in the song. He’d actually already known about this band for a while now, but Finn didn’t have to know that. A deep exhale left his chest, their friendship was safe for another day. He could feel the tension leaving his shoulders as the familiar lyrics comforted him. Having Finn's warmth so close to him was only enhancing his experience. He felt the bed shift but didn't bother opening his eyes. He was enjoying himself too much to want to move. 

A small gasp from Finn broke the spell he was in. Opening his eyes, he could feel his heart catch in his throat as he saw the other boy had grabbed his sketchbook and was staring at his most recent sketch. 

It was a relatively simple picture, two hands intertwined in what was undoubtedly a romantic scene. 

"Sean..." 

Sean scrambled for something to say. 

"I-I was just practicing drawing hands. You know how much I suck at that. It’s okay I know it looks bad." he said while reaching over to take the book back. He immediately regretted it since now Finn's gaze was solely focused on him. 

"Whose hands are those?" he asked simply. 

"Uhhh no one in particular, I just needed to draw hands. I wasn't really thinking of whose hands they'd be." he lied, desperate for the older boy to drop it already. 

There was a pause that seemed to drag on forever before Finn finally responded. 

"Okay." 

Sean felt his grip on the sheets relax. 

"There's just one thing though" 

His grip tightened again. 

"What is it?" he asked, trying to feign nonchalance. 

"Well it looks to me like one of the hands is yours, given the skin tone." he pointed out. 

Sean didn't say anything but Finn pressed on. He could feel his face burning up with embarrassment. 

"And so that got me wondering who the other person was. So I looked a little closer and those tattoos on the other hand kinda look like the ones I have..." 

Finn raised his hand up to show off the word “FREE” written across his knuckles, as well as the big circled letter “N” on the top of his hand. 

Sean could feel his knuckles going white from gripping the sheets so tightly. This was the end of the line, Finn had figured it all out. He turned away from the other boy to hide his embarrassment. 

"Sean, could you please look at me?" Finn asked, no sign of malice in his voice. 

Sean didn't say anything, he couldn't find the words. He felt like he was frozen in time. He wished he could pause everything and stay in this moment forever, before Finn would get the chance to reject him. A warm hand on his own is what finally broke him out of the spell. He slowly turned to face the other boy. 

"Is there something you wanna say to me, sweetie?" Finn said, his voice impossibly gentle. 

It was now or never. 

"I-I like you, Finn." he choked out. 

A warm smile broke out across the older boy's face. 

"Well lucky for you, I happen to like you too Sean. Quite a bit actually." 

Sean was so happy he felt like he could burst right now. Slowly, he reached up to cup the other boy's face. They remained like that for a moment, their eyes locked together. He never thought he’d actually get to do this. 

"Can I kiss you?" Sean asked. 

"You can do whatever you want to me, sweetheart." Finn said with a wink.

That was all Sean needed to hear. Leaning in close, he brought their lips together in a gentle kiss. It was slow and a part of him was worried he might be doing something wrong, but it was still everything he’d ever dreamed of. It was also his first time kissing another guy, he was so glad that it got to be Finn. 

Eventually the two broke apart. Sean rested their foreheads together while Finn rubbed the nape of his neck affectionately. They stood like that for a while before Sean’s thoughts got the better of him. 

“That was...okay right?” he asked nervously. 

Finn let out a small chuckle. 

“It was a helluva lot more than just okay, babe. To tell you the truth, I’ve been wanting to kiss you since we met at that party.” 

Sean felt like he was floating on air. 

“Really? I thought you just flirted with everyone like that.”

“Well, I used to. That is until we started hanging out, I’ve only had eyes for you for a while now.” he said while pointing at Sean’s chest to emphasize his point. 

Sean could feel himself blushing at the admission. He wanted to kick himself for being so blind before. 

"This doesn't feel real." Sean said, his eyes dreamy and content. 

"Don't worry baby, this is real. I'm all yours." Finn cooed as he pulled the younger boy into a strong hug. The two stayed like that for a while, basking in each other's warmth and affection. 

The moment was cut short by Daniel's voice ringing out from across the hall.

"SEAN! DON'T FORGET ABOUT YOUR PROMISE." 

The two broke apart and Sean let out a groan. Finn gave him a questioning look. 

"I sort of promised him we'd play Minecraft with him today." 

"Aww look at you being a good big brother. That's one of the things I always liked about you." Finn admitted. 

Sean felt himself smile at the open admiration. 

"Is it cool if we play with Daniel for a bit?" 

"Of course, I wouldn't want to make you break your promise anyway." Finn said as he started to get up.

Sean’s hesitation to move wasn’t lost on the older boy. 

“What is it babe? Oh wait let me guess, you wanted to kiss me some more, right?” Finn asked with a wink and a nudge. 

“M-maybe…” Sean said sheepishly. 

Finn sat down to sling his arm around Sean’s shoulders and they were back to being in each other’s personal space again. 

“Lucky for you, we got all the time in the world once we finish up with your brother. But this should hold you over till then.” he said while leaning forward. 

The two shared another short kiss before reluctantly untangling themselves from each other and getting up from the bed. Once they made themselves look presentable, Finn reached out his hand. 

"Ready to go?" 

Sean took it and interlocked their fingers. 

"Always, cariño."

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing for this ship so I hope I did it justice. It's also been a while since I posted something so I hope I'm not too rusty. Thank you for reading, any comments are appreciated.


End file.
